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H R H - R E V I E W S
Bob Seger
Comments: The man who rose to fame in the '70s, faded away in the '90s and had one of his biggest hits retroactively ruined by a Xenu-terrified Tom Cruise is back again. The gravel and whiskey throated rock icon, Bob Seger, has released his first studio album in 11 years, and while it's just impossible for any music to be "worth the wait" in an 11 year span, Seger is in classic form. In fact, he's almost in "country" form, but in this case, it's not all bad. With a career touching on four decades and with over 50 million albums sold, Seger has about as much left to prove as Vincent Bugliosi. That being said, hearing a legend do what he does best is never a practice in futility, and Seger's new release Face the Promise answers the call. Face the Promise begins with the bluesy and rocking "Wreck This Heart." This is a classic example of a great rock song. It's simple, catchy, hook-heavy and above all else, sung well. When he sings, "Order me a case of your southern soul and let me out tonight," you just know Seger is back. The first single and video is "Wait For Me." This is the softer side of Seger, a melodic, soulful ballad. Honesty is something you can't fake, and like Springsteen, honesty just drips from Seger's words. An acoustic track, Seger delivers with an earnest voice and hungry lyrics. Great all around. One problem with the album is that the meter of the lyrics are sometimes analogous. If you listen to the pacing on the song "No Matter Who You Are," it's exactly like "Wait for Me," damn near syllable for syllable, during the verses. It's just a faster song. One of the best songs is the politically focused "No More." Seger's voice is heavy with emotion, and the lyrics talk about Vietnam and what is happening today, although you'll have to use your brain to figure that out. The line, "Someday you'll be ordered to explain," speaks of accountability for your actions, and Seger simply states, "I don't want this … I've had enough. No more." Haunting song … Seger brings out the duets on Face the Promise as well. His first is with Kid Rock, a wicked rocker called "Real Mean Bottle." The surprising part of this is that Vince Gill wrote the song. Gill has always been able to pen catchy tracks, but the way he sings begs you to send him to Barry Bond's jailed alchemist for some flaxseed oil. Regardless, if you took a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, asked Hank Williams Jr. to rewrite it, that's what "Real Mean Bottle" sounds like. Kid Rock proves that he can sing when he's not G-ing it up, and Seger always sounds better on the faster, balls-out tracks. His next duet is with Patty Loveless, the perty country singer. They join forces on an odd duet choice, "The Answer's in the Question." Typically, existential deconstruction doesn't make for duet fodder, but they make a go of it here. Seger is a pretty freakin' smart guy, because throughout the album, he makes you think again and again, as he does here. Not the best track on the CD, but probably the most interesting. As noted, Seger doesn't have anything to prove. He's going to sell a kajillion copies of Face the Promise, as well he should. While this will appeal to those who have been along for the 40-year Seger ride, it is a modern-enough sounding CD to pull in those who just like good music. Seeing that his musical muse has been resuscitated, there is no reason for him to make fans wait 11 years for his next output, though. Track
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